Carpet and rug dryer



Nov. 22, 1966 w. F. THOMAS 3, ,368

v CARPET AND RUG DRYER Filed Oct. 4, 1965 2 ShGets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WIL.L\AM F. HOMAS 'lg; Q BY ATTORNEYS Nov. 22, 1966 Filed Oct. 4, 1963 CARPET AND RUG DRYER THOMAS 3,286,368

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 S4 um III 11 58 Eng-Q s6 5A (at: I 58 1 IE \g-s 1 INVENTOR. W M F. 'THoMAs JLHEMMMHM. 3Q

ATTOZNEY$ United States Patent Ofilice 3,286,368 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 3,286,368 CARPET AND RUG DRYER William F. Thomas, 1526 W. Willits St., Santa Ana, Calif. Filed Oct. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 313,937 1 Claim. (Cl. 34151) This invention relates to a dryer, and in particular to an electric dryer for carpets, rugs, and the like.

In the Wet cleaning of such items, whether the vehicle be water, or other liquid, accelerated drying is a desirable feature for several reasons, such as the great affinity of a wet nap, or other surface, for floating dust, which generates a mud covering, which not only slows the evaporation process, but leaves the material with a caked layer of dirt which is unsightly, and therefore requires additional treatment.

It is a general object of the invention, to avoid shortcomings such as those mentioned, by providing for accelerated drying by electric heating, aided by forced draft.

Yet another object is to provide means for accomplishing the aforementioned objects, which is mobile, for scanning the surface to be treat-ed, and, more particularly, provides an electrically heated means, with forced downdraft.

A still further object is to improve both evaporation and fiber conditioning, by providing a brushing action simultaneously wit-h the forced draft heating, and in particular, to provide rotary brushes, actuable in response to travel of the device.

These and other objects, which will be apparent, are attained by the present invention, a preferred form of which is described in the following specification, as illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of the mobile dryer, engaged in a drying operation on a rug,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view through the dryer, taken on the plane of the line 22 of FIGURE '1, and looking downwardly,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view through the dryer, taken on the plane of the line 33 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE '4 is another horizontal section through the dryer, taken on the plane of the line 44 of FIGURE 3, and looking upwardly.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section through the dryer, taken on the plane of the line 5-'5 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 6 is a wiring diagram of the motor and heater circuit.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference there is shown a dryer assembly comprising an inverted pan-shaped housing 10, mounted on four wheels 12, for locomotion, and carrying an articulated bail handle 14, by means of which the dryer is pushed, pulled, and guided and controlled as to direction. Conveniently, the handle is pivoted on a pair of pins 16, protruding from the respective, parallel, vertical side walls 18 of the housing 10. Front wheels 12 are journalled on stub shafts carried by said side walls, and rear Wheels 12 are keyed to an axle 20, which is journalled in bosses 22 protruding inwardly lfIO-Il'l side walls 18.

A further series of six bosses 22, arranged in axially aligned pairs along walls 18, form journals for three cylindrical, rotary brushes 24, with radially disposed bristles. As seen in FIGURE 5, the brushes have a central, cylindrical shaft, or core, 26, with two successively reduced portions 28, 30, on one end, the former carrying a sprocket 32, and the latter journalled in the related boss 22. At its other end, the shaft 26 is bored, as at 34, to receive a compression coil spring 36, and a slidable shaft section 38, having a reduced end 46, receivable in a related boss 22, which furnishes support for the other end of the brush. It will be seen that the brushes may be mounted or demounted by the simple expedient of retracting the shaft 38 against the pressure of the springs 36.

The three brushes, which are preferably arranged with their lowermost points tangent to the plane of ground contact of the wheels 12, are rotated in response to rolling progress of the dryer, by means of a chain 42, trained over the three sprockets 32 on the rotor brush shafts, and also a similar sprocket 44, carried by the axle 2t Thu-s, any upstanding fibers, such as 46 (FIG. 1), on a rug or carpet 48, will be given a vigorous, brushing or combing agitation during passage of the dryer thereover.

The heating elements, and the forced draft feature are contained in a dome 50, on the top wall of the housing 10, the dome being received with a suitable opening in the top Wall 51, and having a lower, peripheral edge 52, which extends below the top wall 51, and the parts being suitably secured together, as by brazing or welding.

The heating elements are supported in the lower part of the dome 50 on a four-armed spider in the form of a Greek cross, having radial arms 54, the ends of which have downturned tabs 56, which are secured to the inner surface of the dome 50, at the lower edge thereof, by bolts 58. Each arm 54 has a series of three, semicylindri-cal, saddle-like depressions 60, constituting seats, at the quarter-point locations, for three, concentric, doughnut rings 62, 64, 66, of refractory, or other material providing insulation against both electrical how and heat. Around these rings, resistance elements 68 are helically wound, in series, their terminals being secured to binding posts 76, carried by dome 50.

The forced draft, for moving the heat from elements 68 downward, is provided by a four-bladed fan 72, carried on the vertical shaft of an electric mot-or 74, suita'bly secured in a top, central opening in the dome, with an upstanding, cylindrical flange, or neck, 76, in which the motor housing is secured. As seen in FIGURE 6, the heating elements 63, are shunted across the motor, and both are opened and closed, simultaneously, by a master switch 78. The switch is also shown pictorially, in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, as a toggle switch, carried on a control plate on the dome 50. The heat generated may be regulated by a rheostat 82, which is also shown schematically in FIG. 6, and pictorial-1y in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5.

To provide the necessary degree of air circulation, the dome 50 is formed with a series of concentric louvers 84, and the lower edges of the vertical side walls of the housing 10 are arranged to provide a suitable degree or clearance above ground, or floor surface. How ever, downdraft of air need only be of such magnitude as to avoid stagnation and thermal Stratification, so that in general, a. relatively high temperature obtains at all times within the housing 10.

While a certain, preferred embodiment has been shown and described, various modifications will be apparent, in light of this disclosure, and the invention should not, therefore, be deemed as limited, except insofar as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A dryer comprising an inverted pan-shaped housing having a top wall and sidewalls, wheel means on the housing providing mobility for the housing on a surface, said housing top wall being formed with a central opening, a dome having an open lower end registered with said opening and secured to the top wall, a spider extending across the lower end of the dome and secured thereto, concentrically-spaced electrical heating elements carried by the spider, a vertical axis fan supported within the dome above the heating elements, said fan comprising an electric motor secured through the center of the wall of the dome, the wall of the dome being formed with air inlet opening means, a plurality of longitudinally spaced rotary brushes extending across the housing beneath the heating elements and journaled on the side wall of the :housing, said wheel means com-prising a wheel, and means operatively connecting said Wheel to the brushes.

2/1892 Fountaine 8/1931 Soss 4 2,297,209 9/ 1942 Ge-dnhn et a1. 1550 3,061,859 11/1962 Dubay 15-50 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 58,831 6/ 1941 Denmark.

1,303,535 8/ 1962 France.

742,002 12/ 1955 Great Britain.

119,471 6/ 1947 Sweden.

10 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

NORMAN YUDKOFF, Examiner.

F. E. DRUMOND, A. D. HERRMANN,

Assistant Examiners. 

